News briefs from the states within the PJM footprint. This week we include Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

With its decision to cut its dividend, FirstEnergy acknowledged last week that its focus on its unregulated business was a losing strategy. Now the question is whether its renewed focus on regulated operations will improve the fortunes of the beleaguered company enough to regain Wall Street’s favor.

The MD PSC worked with PJM to ensure new rules on demand response would not ruin the state’s “mass market” DR: EmPOWER Maryland, part of an initiative to reduce energy consumption by 15% below 2007 levels.

News briefs on companies in PJM Interconnection: AEP, ComEd, Pepco and PPL.

Maryland and CPV officials aren’t saying what their next move is in the wake of a federal court ruling that voided the state’s contract with developers of a 725 MW combined cycle plant in St. Charles.

Company briefs on some of the companies doing business in PJM: FirstEnergy, NRG, Duke Energy, and Pepco.

An overworked transformer and PJM operators’ efforts to limit prices were the focus last week as PJM continued to discuss the mid-July heat wave.

Ike Leggett, chief executive of Montgomery County, MD, said last week the county will appeal the MD PSC’s decision allowing a Pepco rate hike, calling it "premature."

The MD PSC approved only some of PEPCO's rate increase; $28 million in distribution rates and a $24 million surcharge to accelerate the hardening of feeder lines.

Two-thirds of PJM’s transmission owners have failed to file FERC-approved tariffs disclosing the methodology they use to calculate customer rates ...